The Savage Gentleman

As the year 2020 quickly comes to a close, I am provided an opportunity to reflect on the lessons I personally learned from the year.  Every year, situation or moment offers the chance to learn a lesson.  Since 2020 hasn't been the most ideal year, it has offered a distinct set of lessons that, were it any regular year, I would have never been able to uncover.  Upon this reflection, I have found these to be the most significant lessons learned from 2020: 1) Gratitude- First and foremost I learned how fortunate I am.  I, unlike numerous people, have still been able to work and provide for my family.  I understand that this isn't the case for all people so I feel sincere gratitude that I have been less affected by government intervention than most.  2020 has taught me to be thankful for the things I have in my life. 2) Self Exploration- While developing the self is not something new for me. This year brought new levels of self exploration and acceptance....

This isn't my call for people to run out and join the first religious sect that they can find.  That's not what I advocating.  There are numerous ways in which a person can develop a set of beliefs.  However, I encourage all people to sit down and think about what they truly believe as an individual.  When you turn inwardly, what are the core values that you use to navigate your life?  What are the things that you rely on no matter what?  Keep in mind that this is deeper than some superficial bullshit that you were told was good thing. Instead, what exactly as a human do you believe in?   Lately I've been able to make two very clear observations about most people in modern society. 1) Most people intrinsically believe in nothing and 2) Those people that say they believe in something don't actually believe in it as their actions usually contradict the thing they say they believe in.   Studies indicate that people who believe in something;...

The Wim Hof Method, "is a simple, yet powerful method based on the foundation of three pillars; breathing, cold therapy and commitment. It's the combination of these that makes the Wim Hof Method uniquely powerful." Essentially, The Wim Hof method includes a specific type of focused breathing and cold exposure through ice showers or ice baths.  Over the past number of years, there has been some significant research completed which focused on the effectiveness and validity of this method.  While historically, it has been considered just another type of new aged spirituality bullshit.  This research now indicates the numerous scientific benefits of the method.  I've linked the website below for your exploration. As part of my focus on developing intuitive and mindful practices.  I have been experimenting daily with the Wim Hof Method over the past 7 months.  While there are numerous touted benefits from the research, here is what I've learned through my exper...

Over the past months there has been a significant amount of discussion on the topic of Communism.  While I understand the general principles and definitions of the topic, I am curious to understand the allure and draw that Communism currently has.  The last poll I read stated that 36% of Millennials embrace Communism, while 70% of Millennials would vote Socialist.  This is a bit baffling since Communism has been the cause of over 150 million human deaths throughout history.  It's curious then why more and more people are drawn to this philosophy.  If you didn't already know, Communism is based on the philosophy of Karl Marx.  The document that is the foundation of this movement is titled, The Communist Manifesto.  I took some time to read and analyze the document in order to provide my take on his philosophy.   I will caveat this to say that in no way am I a Marxist, nor do I believe that people should willingly give the government more contr...

I've never really been an openly emotional person.  Throughout the majority of my life I have been able to logically and rationally work through problems without having them really affect me emotionally.  While I've found this to be a very useful tool in my life, it doesn't mean that I don't have emotions that occur.  No, I'm not a psychopath. At times, I still have reactions to situations that either don't make sense in that given situation, or is the same reaction that I've had throughout my life.  Being quite a deep thinker, along with my background in psychology and my interest in philosophy, I began to explore practices that allowed me to connect with my emotional side on a different level.   Enter meditation.  Just over two years ago I made a commitment to incorporate meditation into my daily routine.  I made and achieved a goal of meditating for a minimum of 15 minutes every day for a year.  Since starting this it has become a solid pa...

I recently finished reading Friedrich Nietzsche's book "Beyond Good and Evil."  For anyone wanting to take a stroll down philosophy lane, I would suggest not starting with this one.  While it is a very difficult read, the version I had was 115 pages and took me a month to read, it amazes me that a book published in 1900 has so much applicability to modern society.  It is fitting that he tag lined the book as the "Prelude to the Philosophy of the Future."  It's remarkable how he was able to draw ideas from society and discuss how societal norms and ways of thinking needed to be criticized and individuals needed to begin looking at the world from a different perspective.  I will attempt to provide some of the main points of the book that are completely relevant and accurate in today's world. Nietzsche discussed that in every society, it is the viewpoints of the ruling class that ultimately shapes the views of that society.  In part one of the book he state...

Lately I've noticed a large number of politicians, organizations and people in general use the term unconscious bias in order to explain a lot of the issues currently occurring in society.   Since I hold a degree in Psychology, and have spent numerous hours exploring eastern philosophy, along with researching the theories of the conscious and unconscious mind.  I feel like I have a better grasp on the concept than most.   As with most things, when they become politicized or are used for a certain purpose that they turn into something they are not.  Currently, unconscious or implicit bias is being used as a catch all for human behaviour and thinking.  I'm here to tell you that this stance is inaccurate, ignorant and intellectually dishonest.   First and foremost; as with most things that fall under the psychological umbrella.  Implicit bias is a theory.  As is almost everything in psychology.  The concept is being touted as a sc...

With all that current situations occurring in western society and throughout the world, it's interesting to see how human history repeats itself.  Most of the issues and topics today are recycled ideas that have been repurposed to fit modern day narratives. This has got me thinking a lot about Nazi Germany and how the same tactics, views and narratives helped to drive regular people to complete horrendous crimes against each other. Think I'm being dramatic, excessive or extreme?  Try thinking of it this way. First, lets start with the concept of Individualism.   Individualism is the theory that favours the freedom of action of the individual over the collective or state.  A person favours there own individuality and freedom over that of the society, country or state in which they reside.  They are more individually driven and tend to focus on issues that directly affect them. In contrast to this is Collectivism. Collectivism is a value characterized by the ...

I know what you're thinking, what kind of dark, suicidal article is this?  I promise you it's not.  I'm here to tell you that there is a difference between contemplating death.  Which can have a positive impact, and contemplating suicide.  Which you most definitely need to seek help with. Suicidal thoughts are very serious and if you're having thoughts of self harm, please reach out for support. Okay, now with that said, I want to talk about the necessity of contemplating death in ones own life.  I think the public view on death is that it is something to fear and only think about when you're about to meet your maker.  You see this in life as the overwhelming majority of people suffer immensely with everyday anxieties and stresses.  People walking around worrying about things, that if they really thought about it, don't matter. Have you ever taken a moment to consider if in the grand scheme of things, if your anxieties and stresses really mat...

I've always had an interest in the mental aspect of the human experience.  This led me to pursing an undergraduate degree in psychology and has also the reason why I've spent numerous hours reading and researching the topics of psychology and philosophy.  While I don't consider myself an expert on the topics.  I believe I have an above average grasp on the subject matter.  This grasp has led to numerous changes to my overall approach to life.  Earlier in life, I like most people that didn't put much thought into the pursuit of a meaningful existence.  I was focused on the more superficial aspects of life such as career, money, status and climbing the corporate ladder.  While there isn't anything inherently bad about these things.  I always found that there was always something missing in these pursuits.  If I ever achieved a goal, it always felt meaningless and never really had the intended impact.  This was interesting to me bec...

We live in interesting times.  Western society boasts some of the greatest advances in human history.  We pride ourselves on these advances and call ourselves progressive.  The great majority of people live in comfort almost 100% of the time while chasing endless amount of pleasurable activities.   While many of the advances we see in today's world are beneficial.  It would seem that they have created a variety of problems that most "experts" believe we have never seem before in human evolution.  The interesting thing about human evolution is that if you really dig deep and research it, you will uncover that most things are in fact not new.  They are cyclical.  What we are experiencing in western society has already occurred, just in a different form. Don't believe me?  Let me paint you a picture. Let's go back to 3rd century Europe.  During this age the population of the world was much less and people tended to live in...

There's been a lot of dialogue lately around the state of opiate use within our society.  While I'm not advocating on either side of this complex debate, my aim is to provide more of an understanding of opiates, opiate use and addiction. Let's start with a story...... Throughout my life I've been an active person.  To say that athletics consumed my life was an understatement.  From playing Soccer and Baseball in the spring, to Volleyball, Hockey and Basketball in the fall and winter, I was deeply involved in athletic pursuits.  This endless pursuit lead to college basketball scholarships and two national championships. While I wouldn't trade my experiences in athletics for anything, the regular wear and tear of competitive sports, along with a genetic predisposition led to significant back problems. In 2007 I suffered my first of two back injuries.  I initially herniated my L1/L2 and L2/L3 spinal discs.  Unless you've experienced nerve pain, you c...

Adapt or Die Charles Darwin once said, "it is not the strongest of a species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives.  It is the one that is most adaptable to change." Now fast forward 130 years.  We now have a world where change and adaptation are completely unnecessary.  A world so soft and automated that the idea of change actually insights fear, panic and anxiety in an overwhelming majority of the population. We are currently living in the pinnacle of human civilization.  Due to technological advances and genius minds, the vast majority of people live a life almost completely free of struggle and adversity.  While human advances have allowed most to reach prosperity.  They don't come without drawbacks.  We now live so comfortably that humans are regressing to a more primitive form.  We are now in the midst of a devolution of human kind.   Adaptation occurs as a result of adversity, resilience and overcomi...